SEAMEO RIHED, attended the SHARE Scholarship Programme – International Relations Office Workshop hosted by EP-Nuffic at the Embassy of Netherlands, Bangkok, Thailand last 22-23 February 2017.

The SHARE Scholarship Programme is a project between European and Southeast Asian Higher Education Agencies including the British Council, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Campus France, EP-Nuffic, the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), the European University Association (EUA), ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN University Network (AUN) and SEAMEO RIHED aimed to strengthen the regional cooperation and internationalisation of Higher Education in Southeast Asia. EP-Nuffic conducts workshops to enhance the programme development and internationalisation knowledge of the International Relations Officers from different universities participating in the SHARE Programme.

SEAMEO RIHED extends its special thanks to EP-Nuffic for the invitation to attend this 3rd Workshop. The goal of this workshop was to review batches 1 and 2 of the SHARE Scholarship Implementation and identify points for improvement for the third batch, particularly through the enhancement of communication among the International Relations Officers. Furthermore, proposed changes to the guidelines and the SHARE online platform were also discussed.

The participants of the 3rd SHARE Workshop having a group photo.

(from left to right) Representatives of SHARE, Ministry of Education (Indonesia), SEAMEO RIHED and OHEC

SEAMEO RIHED is delighted to be part of the International Forum on Cross-Border Education organized by the China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC), Ministry of Education, P.R. China, on 20-21 December 2016 in Haikou, Hainan Province. Our sincere appreciation to the CDGDC for having SEAMEO RIHED to attend and participate in this important milestone.

At the Forum, both local and international experts in higher education joined the discussion to share good practices done at national, regional as well as global levels related to Cross-Border Education, including Quality Assurance, Qualification Framework and Recognition, and Credit Transfer and Learning Outcome Recognition.

SEAMEO RIHED gladly participated in the 15th Meeting of the Working Group on Human Resource Development (HRD) of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) along with key persons from HRD sectors namely education, labor and migration, health, and social development from Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Other strategic development partners such as the SEAMEO Secretariat, Mekong Institute, International Organization for Migration (IOM), ASEAN University Network (AUN) and World Health Organization (WHO) also participated in the meeting. The meeting was organized by the Asian Development Bank hosted at Intercontinental Hotel, Kunming, People’s Republic of China.

With the theme Regional Cooperation in Human Resource Development: Spurring Knowledge, Skills and Innovation in the Greater Mekong Subregion, Ms.Phunyanuch Pattanotai, Senior Programme Officer at SEAMEO RIHED, delivered a presentation on Forwarding Regional Higher Education Cooperation. She outlined the achievements and current status in the development of SEAMEO RIHED’s Academic Credit Transfer Framework in Asia (ACTFA) and Greater Mekong Subregion University Consortium (GMS-UC).

Participants of the 15th Working Group on Human Resource Development (WGHRD-15)

Ms. Phunyanuch Pattanotai, Senior Programme Officer at SEAMEO RIHED,

delivering her presentation on Forwarding Regional

Higher Education Cooperation

(from left to right) Ms. Phunyanuch of SEAMEO RIHED, Dr. Tinsiri Siribodhi of SEAMEO Secretariat, Ms. Lakhana Dockiao of OHEC and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nantana Gajaseni of AUN discussing the achievements of the education sector in the GMS under SFAP 2013-2017.

Mr. Hou Nan, Director of the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Yunnan Province, PRC, reporting the achievements and future developments of the education sector in the GMS.

On 1-2 December 2016, SEAMEO RIHED attended the 4th ASEAN Plus Three Working Group (APT-WG) on Mobility of Higher Education and Ensuring Quality of Higher Education Among ASEAN Plus Three Countries in Cebu, the Philippines.

The Meeting was graciously hosted by the Commission of Higher Education, the Philippines. Malaysia was the Chair of the Meeting with Japan as the Co-Chair. Representatives from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN University Network (AUN) also attended the Meeting.

The main discussions at the Meeting included: 1) proposal on the monitoring of the ASEAN Plus Three Guidelines on Student Exchange and Mobility, 2) introduction of the draft “Guidelines on Transcript for Exchange Students, including Comparison Table of the Credit Transfer System” to facilitate greater understanding and promote student mobility and 3) proposal to revise the Working Group’s ToR to further enhance and strengthen cooperation within the region.

SEAMEO RIHED supports the initiatives of the Working Group on Mobility of Higher Education and Ensuring Quality of Higher Education Among APT Countries which complement SEAMEO RIHED’s work on academic mobility and the harmonizing of Higher Education in Southeast Asia and beyond.

SEAMEO RIHED organized the 1st Steering Committee Meeting of the SEAMEO RIHED’s ASEAN International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Programme on 8 October 2016 at Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn, in Bangkok, Thailand. The Meeting discussed on the roles and responsibilities, including the term and number of Steering Committee Members, the chairmanship and the permanent secretariat, as well as the organization of the next AIMS Steering Committee Meeting.

The Steering Committee of the AIMS Programme was established as a result of the discussion during the 9th Review Meeting of the AIMS Programme organized on 22-23 October 2016 in Ibaraki, Japan. The Meeting proposed and agreed to set up a supporting mechanism to enhance and improve operations as well as to tackle pertinent issues and challenges in the AIMS Programme. The Steering Committee is comprised of one government and one university representatives who are nominated by their respective member governments participating in the AIMS Programme.

The Steering Committee plays an important role for regulating future directions and formulating specific policies and activities that contributes to the development and further sustainability of the AIMS Programme. With continued expansion and development over the years, the Steering Committee Meeting has been organized to review, streamline, improve and enhance the Programme to promote the harmonization of higher education in the Southeast Asian Region.

Thank you all the Steering Committee members and participants for their commitments and contribution to the successful meeting.

On 14–16 November 2016, the 10th Review Meeting of the ASEAN International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Programme was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Co-organised by SEAMEO RIHED and the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, the Review Meeting officially welcomed the participation of the Republic of Korea to the Programme and provided a key opportunity to review developments with the goal of enhancing mobility in the region and beyond.

This year, the Meeting featured parallel sessions for government respresentatives, administrative staff of International Relations Offices (IROs) and faculty from participating AIMS higher education institutions. Through constructive discussions, each session provided opportunities to share issues and prospective areas of opportunity towards enhancing the Programme. The Meeting also included Plenary Sessions, where updates on the Programme and future directions were presented. Individual country breakout sessions were also provided for AIMS Members to report on national implementation strategies. In addition, the Meeting featured a Student and Alumni Forum, which provided a venue for students to share their experiences.

The 10th Review Meeting of the AIMS Programme provided a timely platform for all stakeholders to come together towards stronger regional cooperation and solidarity to promote opportunities for student and academic mobility in the region of Southeast Asia and beyond. SEAMEO RIHED would like to thank all the participants of the 10th Review Meeting, including the organising committee and participating Malaysian higher education institutions whose hard work helped to make the Meeting possible. SEAMEO RIHED would also like to express special thanks to the host of the 10th Review Meeting, the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia.

UNESCO Stakeholders Meeting on Indicators for Internationalization of Higher Education in ASEAN+6

3-4 November 2016 UNESCO Bangkok, Thailand

In order to achieve the 4th UN Sustainable Development Growth (SDG4), also known as Education 2030, the necessity to develop appropriate indicator and effective monitoring mechanisms for internationalisation of higher education was recognised in the Education 2030 Framework for Action. With the aim to evaluate current national and regional higher education policies and existing indicators for the internationalization of higher education, UNESCO Bangkok, in collaboration with the University of Tokyo, Japan, invited SEAMEO RIHED to participate and contribute to the Stakeholders Meeting on Indicators for Internationalisation of Higher Education in ASEAN+6.

Mr. Gwang-Jo Kim, Director of UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, made a speech emphasizing the relevance of higher education and the importance of developing an indicator to measure its progress. Mr. Libing Wang, Chief of Section of Educational Innovation and Skills Development (ESID), supported this claim by stating how data collection and measurement of internationalization will be significant for further social sciences research employing scientific and quantitative method of study. As one of the final presentors, Dr. Chantavit Sujatanond, SEAMEO RIHED Centre Director, together with Dr. Nantana Gajaseni, ASEAN University Network Executive Director, and Ms. Abigail C. Lanceta. Assistant Director and Head of Education, Youth and Sports Division of the ASEAN Secretariat, enlightened the participants of the meeting about the current regional initiatives for internationalisation.

The meeting successfully met the expected outcome by providing a synthesis of ongoing policies and practices of data collection on higher education in ASEAN+6 countries. The meeting also outlined a regional workplan for the development of regional indicators for internationalisation of higher education.

During 3-6 October 2016, SEAMEO RIHED in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), organized the Workshop on “Curriculum Design, Development and Evaluation” for universities in the Greater Mekong Subregion at Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn, in Bangkok, Thailand. This “hands-on” workshop consisted of an interactive seminar, collaborative exercises, experiential learning, and active group discussions.

This four-day Workshop brought together 36 University leaders (Presidents, Vice Presidents, Deans, Deputy Deans, Directors, and Officials) responsible for learning content and program design from across the GMS countries (Cambodia, P.R. China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam), with the objective of equipping participants with further effective competencies to assist in designing, developing and evaluating curriculum material for study programs, and provide a forum for the sharing of good practices into the 21st Century.

The Workshop was conducted by specialists in the field of curriculum development, design, and evaluation: Dr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin, Principle Consultant and the Founder of Education Quality International, and the former Associate Director of the Office of Quality Management at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Professor (Dr.) Ong Duu Sheng, former Vice-President, Professor, and Humboldt Research Fellow from Multimedia University (Malaysia).

This event was part of the capacity building workshops conducted under the Greater Mekong Subregion University Consortium (GMS-UC), organized by SEAMEO RIHED with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to create an important supporting mechanism that will enhance sustainability and strengthen future collaborations of the region. Earlier this year, the Presidents’ Forum on Strategic Leadership for New Normal Leaders had been conducted during 27-29 June 2016 as a pilot activity of the capacity building series.

GMS-UC is derived from SEAMEO RIHED’s objective to build regional platforms and collaboration mechanisms that foster HEIs to share experience and link academic resources to improve the quality and excellence of universities in Greater Mekong Subregion. With its aims (1) to help strengthen and accelerate cross-border collaboration among universities in the GMS; (2) to help harmonize higher education by facilitating the development of a platform that covers areas such as faculty exchange, visiting experts, quality assurance, credit transfer, and research capacity building and collaboration, among universities in the GMS countries; and (3) to help the GMS countries interface with the establishment of the ASEAN Community, specifically in the field of higher education.

Photos Gallery : The SEAMEO RIHED Workshop on “Curriculum Design, Development and Evaluation” for Universities in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS)
Please see link : https://goo.gl/photos/qB3T2erEozHqgYfg8

On 16 September 2016, SEAMEO RIHED organized the Regional Seminar on “Academic Connectivity and Mobility: National Practices on Student Exchange and Credit Transfer” at Royal Angkor Resort in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in conjunction with the 24th SEAMEO RIHED Governing Board Meeting. The Regional Seminar was opened by H.E. Yuok Ngoy, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia (MoEYS) with participation of more than 80 higher education policy makers, government officials, university executives and administrators, and researchers.

During the Seminar, country papers were disseminated and presented by distinguished speakers from 8 Southeast Asian Nations to share the current status and update national practices and developments as well as future plans on student exchange and credit transfer in their respective countries. The Seminar was aimed at drawing critical attention from participants towards the promotion of regional connectivity that encourages intra-ASEAN mobility. It was a valuable opportunity for participants to widen knowledge and understanding of national practices on academic mobility and credit transfer systems being utilized as well as future plans to be implemented in the region. This would also encourage the audience to be able to strengthen the implementation of student exchange and credit transfer practices at both institutional and national levels.

SEAMEO RIHED Regional Seminars have been held in conjunction with the SEAMEO RIHED Governing Board Meeting since 2005. The theme has varied every year based on the current trend and spotlight during the particular period. SEAMEO RIHED Regional Seminars have covered the following selected themes in higher education.

Higher Education in Southeast Asia in 2005

Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Southeast Asia in 2006

ICT in University Teaching, Learning and Research in Southeast Asia in 2007

University Governance in Southeast Asia in 2008

Student Mobility in Southeast Asia in 2009

Quality Assurance in Southeast Asia in 2010

University Research Management in Southeast Asia in 2011

Internationalisation of Higher Education in Southeast Asia in 2012

Teacher Education in Southeast Asia in 2013

University-Industry Linkages and Collaboration in 2014

Bridging Higher Education and TVET in 2015

Academic Connectivity and Mobility: National Practices on Student Exchange and Credit Transfer in 2016

During 15-16 September 2016, the 24th SEAMEO RIHED Governing Board Meeting was convened at Royal Angkor Resort, Siem Reap, Cambodia, with generous support from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) of Cambodia. The Meeting was organized as a platform for discussing on policy, management, and the administration of SEAMEO RIHED. A summary of accomplished programmes and activities organised in the previous fiscal year under 5 objectives areas of the 4th Five-Year Development Plan of SEAMEO RIHED was also reviewed during the Meeting.

Attending the Meeting were H.E. Yuok Ngoy, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia, SEAMEO RIHED Governing Board Members/Representatives and Centre Director, as well as the Deputy Director of SEAMEO Secretariat. During the Opening Speech, H.E. Yuok Ngoy congratulated SEAMEO RIHED on the Center’s achievements during FY 2015/2016. He also encouraged SEAMEO RIHED to continuously engage and contribute towards the development of higher education in the Southeast Asian Region and beyond. In addition, he expressed commitment of Cambodia to the work of SEAMEO RIHED in promoting sustainable development in the region and remarked that SEAMEO RIHED Governing Board Meeting was an important platform to share achievements of the past fiscal year and develop new activities and programs.

In addition, H.E. Mak Ngoy, Director General of the Higher Education Department, Ministry of Education of Cambodia, expressed the sincere gratitude to SEAMEO RIHED that has dedicated to conduct programs and activities to assist member countries to meet the needs and challenges in the Southeast Asian higher education landscape. He also complimented SEAMEO RIHED for its hard work in promoting the harmonization and development of higher education in this region.

As the Secretary General of the Office of the Higher Education Commission of Thailand and the Chair of SEAMEO RIHED Governing Board, Ms. Aporn Kanvong insisted the importance of the harmonization of higher education in this region since it is necessary for students and their qualifications to be recognized and accepted in other countries. She referred to a number of activities conducted by SEAMEO RIHED to help strengthen and accelerate such processes of higher education harmonization.

At the Meeting, Dr. Chantavit Sujatanond, Centre Director of SEAMEO RIHED reported the activities and programs being executed and conducted by SEAMEO RIHED during FY 2015/2016 with the strong focuses on higher education development and harmonization contributing to regional efforts in enhancing the principle of people-to-people connectivity and upholding the Southeast Asian Region and beyond.

H.E. Yuok Ngoy, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia, delivered the Opening Speech during the 24th SEAMEO RIHED Governing Board Meeting.